The Great Chamber formed part of the rebuilding of Chatsworth’s South Front, the first major phase undertaken by the 1st Duke of Devonshire in the late 17th-century.
Construction occurred between 1687 and 1689, though its decorative scheme was only completed several years later, in 1694. Learn more about the State Apartments here.
As the first of the State Apartments, the Great Chamber remains one of the best-preserved interiors from the 1st Duke's ambitious programme.
On the ceiling, Italian artist Antonio Verrio painted The Return of the Golden Age (1692). The composition celebrates the triumph of prosperity and moral order over vice and discord.
Rather than a generic classical allegory, the imagery operated as a contemporary compliment to new monarchs William III and Mary II, credited with restoring stability after James II’s troubled rule.
The Duke’s own role in the 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688 is discreetly signalled by his coronet and the Order of the Garter painted in the coves, honours newly awarded.
Encircling the scene are personifications of the seasons and attendant river gods, reinforcing the idea of cyclical abundance. Such imagery was not only decorative but deliberately expansive and aligned Chatsworth with the Whig celebration of providential order and agricultural plenty.
Samuel Watson’s chimney-piece festoons (crabs, lobsters, fruit, and game) transform political allegory into witty naturalistic carving, reminding visitors that this was also a space for convivial dining.
Above, Godfrey Kneller’s (1646-1723) portrait of the 1st Duke anchored the programme in personal patronage.
The Great Chamber also bears a trace of Verrio’s temperament. After a quarrel with the housekeeper, Mrs Hackett, he caricatured her likeness in the figure of Atropos, the Fate who cuts the thread of life. Such mischievous touches sit uneasily within an otherwise solemn allegory of renewal, but they remind us of the lived and sometimes unpredictable circumstances of Baroque decoration.
As the first room of the State Apartment suite, the Great Chamber had a ceremonial role, welcoming guests beneath the painted promise of a new “Golden Age.” From the Great Chamber, the visitor moves through the State Drawing Room, the State Music Room, the State Bedchamber and the State Closet. Each is successively more private, richly decorated, and allegorical.
Header and image two taken by Sarah Rawlinson at HeritagePhotographs.com
